Baseball glove

ABSTRACT

The present invention is directed to a new and improved baseball glove. The glove includes an outer shell that contains a finger portion, a thumb portion, and a palm portion. The finger portion comprises two or three finger holsters, the outermost holster accommodates two or three fingers, the remaining finger holster(s) accommodates one or two fingers. One or more finger separator(s) reside within the outermost finger holster to prevent discomfort of the fingers. A web portion is attached between the finger portion and the thumb portion. A protective padding strip is located within the surrounding area immediately adjacent to the web portion. The finger portion and thumb portion are spaced apart to minimize the impact of a caught ball with the user&#39;s hand. A web-reinforcement patch is located over a variable region surrounding the intersection of the lower region of the web portion and the outer shell.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to the field of sports equipment. Morespecifically, this patent deals with a new and improved baseball glovedesigned to minimize the pain and discomfort caused by the impact of abaseball with the user's hand, and to provide the user with a strongerand more controlled closing action of the glove.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The game of baseball has become more advanced since its inception. Inthe last several decades alone, improvements in the design of the batsand baseballs combined with the more rigorous strength and conditioningprograms undertaken by the players has significantly elevated the levelof competition. Today's athletes from all levels of play—high school,college, semi-professional, and professional baseball—not only hit theball harder and farther, but also throw the ball with more velocity thanin years past. This evolution in the game can also be recognized in thechanges that have manifested in the design of baseball gloves.

Early baseball gloves were designed the same regardless of the fieldingposition played, generally resembling a mitten with a web portionloosely attached between the finger and thumb portions for receiving theball. The finger portion was typically one large compartment that housedall of the user's fingers. As time progressed, gloves were designed withmore than one finger portion that could accommodate one or more fingersof the user. This enabled the user to close the glove around the ballwith a quicker, stronger motion than the glove with one fingercompartment. With the realization that all of the positions in the fieldwere not identical in either the frequency or velocity in which thebaseball was caught, baseball gloves were later designed for use withspecific positions on the field. Examples of the different types ofgloves that now exist are the catcher's glove, the first basemen'sglove, the infielder's glove, and the outfielder's glove. Additionalimprovements in the design of baseball gloves included affixing the webportion of the glove more tightly and securely to the rest of the gloveto allow for the safe catching of baseballs traveling at highervelocities.

Another more recent baseball glove feature to compensate for thecatching of baseballs traveling at higher velocities was the addition ofan opening in the back portion of the glove that could enable the wearerto remove the index finger from the inner portion of the glove. Thisfeature was incorporated into the glove to provide the wearer with anextra layer of padding for the index finger region, an area thattypically receives a substantial amount of contact with a baseball whenthe ball is received into the glove.

Several gloves have been designed to relieve the wearer of the pain anddiscomfort in the index finger region caused by catching a baseballtraveling at high velocities, while simultaneously allowing for astronger and more controlled closing action. Whether or not successful,these attempts have fallen short of the mark in several aspects of glovedesign, as described herein.

U.S. Pat. No. 2,414,004 granted to A. J. Turner describes a baseballglove comprising a palm portion, a pair of adjacent finger stalls, and athumb stall. The finger stalls are each designed to accommodate twoadjacent fingers of the wearer. The spacing of the thumb stall from thenearer finger stall is greater than the diameter of a standard baseballand the angular relations and relative positions of the thumb and fingerstalls are such that the wearer's thumb and is normally spread away fromthe rest of the hand.

This patent describes a baseball glove designed to form a pocket forcatching a ball without absorbing the impact of the ball flatly againsta portion of the wearer's hand. Additionally, the glove attempts toprovide a stronger gripping action by utilizing different fingerplacement within the glove. However, the separation of the ring andpinky fingers from the middle and index fingers, combined with thejoining of the middle and index fingers, creates a glove closing anglethat causes discomfort and awkwardness. Similarly, the wide separationof the finger stalls and the thumb stalls causes the wearer's thumb tobe spread farther away from the rest of the hand than normal, resultingin further discomfort. Also, the location of where the fingers areseparated and joined reduces the quickness and strength available to thewearer for closing the glove around the ball. Further, the lack of afinger separation device in each finger stall results in anuncomfortable cramping and stiffness of the wearer's fingers during useof the glove.

Thus, it would be highly desirable to provide a flexible baseball glovethat can be comfortably worn by intermediate and more advanced players,that significantly minimizes the pain, swelling, and discomfort causedby the impact of a caught ball with a user's hand, and allows for astronger, quicker, and more natural glove closing action.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,878,436 to Robert B. Jones describes a center-webbedbaseball glove which utilizes the natural fold of the human hand andfolds into two equal halves increasing the utilizable surface area. Theglove is comprised of a central pocket, a set of outer finger slots, anda set of inner finger slots. The glove is worn by placing the pinky andring fingers into the left outer finger slot, the middle and indexfingers into the left inner finger slot, and the thumb into either theouter or inner right finger slots. The glove can also be worn on theright hand by placing the thumb in the left inner or outer finger slotsand placing the remaining fingers in the left finger slots of the glove.

This patent describes a centered-webbed baseball glove that utilizesadjustable finger holds to enable a user to wear the glove on eitherhand. While the symmetrical nature of the glove allows for“reversibility”, it does not fully accommodate the needs of moreadvanced players in several respects. First, due to the centralized webdesign, the glove “cups” the ball in a “trapping” motion. This leavesthe wearer with little room for error in fielding a ball. Thissymmetrical design similarly allows for the ball to easily slip out ofeither the top or the bottom of the glove, during infield or outfielduse, due to the lack of palm barrier that is present in the typicalnon-symmetrical baseball glove designs. Furthermore, the centralized webdesign necessarily restricts the size of the webbing. This causes thefingers to be more closely located to the webbing, which increases thelikelihood a user will feel pain and discomfort when catching a balltraveling at high velocity.

Thus, it would be highly desirable to provide a flexible baseball glovethat can be comfortably worn by intermediate and more advanced players,that significantly minimizes the pain, swelling, and discomfort causedby the impact of a caught ball with a user's hand, and allows for astronger, quicker, and more natural glove closing action.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,289,515 granted to Robert M. Fous is directed to anergonomic fielding glove with at least one finger portion, a thumbportion, and a web joining the thumb portion and the nearest fingerportion. The glove also includes a mitten-shaped compartment that holdsall four fingers of the wearer, and is fixed at an angle of 90 degreesfrom a thumb-shaped compartment that holds the wearer's thumb. Anadjustable thumb strap is added within both the finger compartment andthe thumb compartment for added leverage and comfort of a particularsized hand.

This patent describes a still another baseball glove designed to reducethe surface area where a hit or thrown ball impacts the user's hand.However, this design causes awkwardness of the hand angle by locatingall of the fingers on one extreme end of the glove and the thumb on theother extreme, resulting uncomfortable strain and stiffness. A similarresult of this hand positioning makes for an uncomfortable and awkwardangle of the hand when fielding a ground ball. The design puts asubstantial amount of strain on the wrist and effectively teaches animproper way of fielding a ground ball in the process. Further, crammingall of the fingers into the mitten compartment, with no fingerseparation device, causes a continuous rubbing of the fingers, resultingin an uncomfortable fit.

Thus, it would be highly desirable to provide a flexible baseball glovethat can be comfortably worn by intermediate and more advanced players,that significantly minimizes the pain, swelling, and discomfort causedby the impact of a caught ball with a user's hand, and allows for astronger, quicker, and more natural glove closing action.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,536,046 to Lawrence J. Gilligan describes a baseballglove with a front and back shells joined together to form a fingerportion, a heel portion, a thumb portion. A web portion is disposedbetween the finger portion and the thumb portion. The finger portioncomprises at least to finger stalls, with the first of the at least twofinger stalls closed so that the fingers of the user cannot be receivedinto that stall. The glove also comprises a first and second hingeassemblies located along the heel portion. One of the hinge assembliesis closer in proximity to the thumb portion of the glove, while theother hinge assembly is closer in proximity to the finger portion of theglove.

This patent describes yet another baseball glove designed to facilitatebetter control and ease of use by the player using the glove. However,this glove design creates an unbalanced weight distribution between thethumb stall and the non-closed finger stall(s), which results in astronger closing action for the thumb portion of the glove and a weakerclosing action for the finger portion of the glove. Uneven closure ofthe glove can cause the ball to deflect out of the glove, resulting in amissed catch. Also, the addition of a “closed” finger stall to the gloveunnecessarily increases the bulk of the glove, further delaying thequickness of the glove closing action. Moreover, this glove design doesnot incorporate substantial features to effectively minimize the painand discomfort to the wearer's index finger region caused by the impactof a ball with the wearer's hand.

Thus, it would be highly desirable to provide a flexible baseball glovethat can be comfortably worn by intermediate and more advanced players,that significantly minimizes the pain, swelling, and discomfort causedby the impact of a caught ball with a user's hand, and allows for astronger, quicker, and more natural glove closing action.

In this respect, before explaining at least one embodiment of theinvention in detail it is to be understood that the invention is notlimited in its application to the details of construction and to thearrangement of the components set forth in the following description orillustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of otherembodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Inaddition, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminologyemployed herein are for the purpose of description and should not beregarded as limiting.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The principal advantage of this invention is to provide a baseball glovedesigned to minimize pain and discomfort caused by the impact of acaught ball with the user's hand.

Another advantage of this invention is to provide a baseball glove thatcan be comfortably used by intermediate and more advanced players, suchas high school, collegiate, semi-professional, and professional players.

Another advantage of this invention is to provide a baseball glove thatpositions a user's hand in such a manner so as to enable a quicker,stronger, and more efficient closing action of the glove around thebaseball.

And still another advantage of this invention is to provide a baseballglove that can be effectively used at several fielding positions.

And yet another advantage of this invention is to provide a new andunique catching apparatus that can be used in a variety of differentsporting events to enhance the comfort in catching high-velocityprojectiles.

The present invention is directed to a new and improved baseball glove.The glove includes an outer shell that contains a finger portion, athumb portion, and a palm portion. The finger portion comprises threefinger holsters, the outermost holster proportioned to accommodate twofingers of the user, the remaining finger holsters proportioned to eachaccommodate one finger. A finger separator is located within theoutermost finger holster to prevent discomfort of the fingers. A webportion is attached between the finger portion and the thumb portion. Aprotective padding strip is located within the surrounding areaimmediately adjacent to the web portion. The finger portion and thumbportion are spaced apart to minimize the impact of a caught ball withthe user's hand. A web-reinforcement patch is located over a variableregion surrounding the intersection of the lower region of the webportion and the outer shell.

An alternative embodiment of the baseball glove is intended to be usedby first basemen. This embodiment includes an outer shell that containsa finger portion, a thumb portion, and a palm portion. Two fingerholsters are located within the finger portion, the outermost holster isproportioned to accommodate three fingers of the wearer, and theremaining finger holster is proportioned to accommodate one finger. Twoor more finger separators are located within the outermost fingerholster to prevent uncomfortable rubbing of the fingers. A thumbrestraint is located within the thumb portion to enable a quicker,stronger, and more controlled closing action of the glove. A web portionis attached between the finger portion and the thumb portion. Aprotective padding strip is located within the surrounding areaimmediately adjacent to the web portion of the glove. The finger portionand thumb portion are spaced apart to minimize the impact of a caughtball with the user's hand. A web-reinforcement patch is located over avariable region surrounding the intersection of the lower region of theweb portion and the outer shell.

Another embodiment of the baseball glove is intended to be used bycatchers. This embodiment includes an outer shell that contains a fingerportion, a thumb portion, and a palm portion. Two finger holsters arelocated within the finger portion, the outermost holster is proportionedto accommodate three fingers of the wearer, and the remaining fingerholster proportioned to accommodate one finger. Two or more fingerseparators are located within the outermost finger holster to preventuncomfortable rubbing of the fingers. A thumb restraint is locatedwithin the thumb portion to enable a quicker, stronger, and morecontrolled closing action of the glove. A web portion is attachedbetween the finger portion and the thumb portion. A protective paddingstrip is located within the surrounding area immediately adjacent to theweb portion of the glove. The finger portion and thumb portion arespaced apart to minimize the impact of a caught ball with the user'shand. A web-reinforcement patch is located over a variable regionsurrounding the intersection of the lower region of the web portion andthe outer shell.

With respect to the above description it is to be realized that theoptimum dimensional relationships for the parts of the invention,including variations in size, materials, shape, form, function andmanner of operation, assembly, and use, are deemed readily apparent andobvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships tothose illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification areintended to be encompassed by the present invention. Therefore, theforegoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of theinvention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes willreadily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limitthe invention to the exact construction and operation shown anddescribed. Accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents fallwithin the scope of the present invention.

These, together with other objects of the invention, along with thevarious features of novelty, which characterize the invention, arepointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming apart of this disclosure. For a better understanding of the invention,its operating advantages and the specific objects attained by its uses,reference should be made to the accompanying drawings and descriptivematter in which there are illustrated preferred embodiments of theinvention. There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the moreimportant features of the invention in order that the detaileddescription thereof that follows may be better understood, and in orderthat the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated.There are additional features of the invention that will be describedhereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claimsappended hereto.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and form a part ofthis specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and togetherwith the description, serve to explain the principals of this invention.

FIG. 1 depicts a partially cut away front view of the preferredembodiment of the baseball glove, showing the web-reinforcement patchlocated thereon, the placement of the user's hand into the glove, aswell as the finger separator located within the glove, constructed inaccordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 depicts a top view of a horizontal cross-section of the fingerportion of the baseball glove, constructed in accordance with thepresent invention;

FIG. 3 depicts a front view of a planar cross-section of a prior artbaseball glove, showing the padded regions of the glove;

FIG. 4 depicts a front view of a planar cross-section of the preferredembodiment of the baseball glove, showing the padded regions of theglove, constructed in accordance with the present invention, constructedin accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 5 depicts a front view of the preferred embodiment of the baseballglove, showing the placement of the hand into the glove as well as theweb-reinforcement patch located thereon, constructed in accordance withthe present invention;

FIG. 6 depicts a top view of a horizontal cross-section of the baseballglove extending from the thumb portion to the innermost finger holster,constructed in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 7 depicts a side view of a vertical cross-section of the web regionand the area beneath the web region of the preferred embodiment of thebaseball glove, constructed in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 8 depicts a front view of an alternative embodiment of the baseballglove, showing in particular the web-reinforcement patch locatedthereon, the placement of the hand into the glove, the placement of theprotective padded region, and the placement of the finger separatorslocated therein, constructed in accordance with the present invention;and

FIG. 9 depicts a front view of another alternative embodiment of thebaseball glove, showing in particular the web-reinforcement patchlocated thereon, the placement of the hand into the glove, the placementof the protective padded region, and the placement of the fingerseparators located therein, constructed in accordance with the presentinvention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring now to the drawings, wherein similar parts are identified bylike reference numerals, there is seen in FIG. 1 a partially cut awayfront view of the preferred embodiment of fielder's glove 10, in placeon the hand of a user. As those familiar with gloves will recognizebased on its size and shape, fielder's glove 10 is a standard fielder'sglove. Fielder's glove 10 has an outer shell 20 composed of a frontsurface 22 and a back surface 24 (not shown). Outer shell 20 has anopening 25 at the lower portion of fielder's glove 10. Front surface 22and back surface 24 are joined together at various parts of opening 25by lacing 26, to form a glove opening 28. Outer shell 20 is shaped toform a palm portion 30, finger portion 40, and thumb portion 50. A webregion 60 is located between finger portion 40 and thumb portion 50. Aweb-reinforcement patch 62 is attached over the intersection of thelower portion of web region 60 and outer shell 20. It should berecognized that web-reinforcement patch 62 is not limited in size andcan be situated on fielder's glove 10 to cover a variable regionimmediately surrounding the intersection of the lower portion of webregion 60 and outer shell 20, including the areas directly above, below,and on both sides of the intersection.

A user inserts his or her hand 70 into glove opening 28 to use fielder'sglove 10. Finger portion 40 is comprised of finger holster 41, fingerholster 42, and finger holster 43. Finger holster 43 is sized toaccommodate two fingers of a user. To use fielder's glove 10 a userinserts thumb 72 into thumb portion 50, index finger 74 into fingerholster 41, middle finger 76 into finger holster 42, and ring finger 78and pinky finger 79 into finger holster 43. It is to be recognized thatthumb portion 50 can also contain a thumb tab for the purpose ofsecuring thumb 72 into thumb portion 50. Thumb tabs are standard in manymodern baseball gloves, and typically consist of a strip of leatherformed in a loop within the thumb region, with the two ends of the stripof leather protruding from the outer shell of the glove and tiedtogether into a knot. Standard thumb tabs can be adjusted by looseningthe knot and either increasing or decreasing the amount of leather usedto form the loop. Ring finger 78 and pinky finger 79 are separated infinger holster 43 by a finger separator 44. Finger separator 44 can becomprised of a strip of conditioned leather, fabric, cloth, or othertype of soft and flexible material that will not cause discomfort whencontacting ring finger 78 and pinky finger 79.

It is to be recognized that fielder's glove 10 can embody both aninfielders glove and an outfielder's glove. In the infielder's gloveembodiment, web region 60, finger portion 40, and thumb portion 50, willbe shorter in height than in the outfielder's glove embodiment.

As illustrated in FIG. 2, there is seen a top view of a horizontalcross-section of finger portion 40, including finger holster 41containing index finger 74, finger holster 42 containing middle finger76, and finger holster 43 containing both ring finger 78 and pinkyfinger 79 separated by finger separator 44. Finger separator 44 can beattached to the inside of the back surface 24 and to leather separator80. Such attachment can occur by any means, including, but not limitedto stitching, sewing, and gluing. In an alternative embodiment,fielder's glove 10 can use a finger separator comprised of a strip ofleather formed in a loop, whereby, depending on the positioning of thefinger separator within finger holster 43, a user inserts either ringfinger 78 or pinky finger 79 through the loop. Leather separator 80serves to provide a comfort barrier between hand 70 and finger and thumbpadding 82. Leather separator 80 is joined at various parts to outershell 20 by lacing 26.

As illustrated in FIG. 3, there is seen a front view of a planarcross-section of a prior art baseball glove, showing the finger andthumb padding indicated by the cross-hatched region.

As illustrated in FIG. 4, there is seen front view of a planarcross-section of fielder's glove 10, showing the finger and thumbpadding 82 as well as protective padding strip 90 located within outershell 20 and substantially surrounding web region 60. It should berecognized that protective padding strip 90 can be disposed within outershell 20 to completely or partially surround web region 60. Protectivepadding strip 90 can be comprised of various types of material,including but not limited to standard glove padding, cloth, fabric,sponge, leather, gel-like substances, or any other type of suitablepadding material.

As illustrated in FIG. 5, there is seen a front view of the preferredembodiment of fielder's glove 10 with web-reinforcement patch 62 locatedthereon and user's hand 70 shown in phantom, including thumb 72 andindex finger 74.

As illustrated in FIG. 6, there is seen a top view of a horizontalcross-section of fielder's glove 10 extending from thumb portion 50 tofinger holster 41, including web region 60, web-reinforcement patch 62,and protective padding strip 90. Finger and thumb padding 82 is locatedwithin thumb portion 50 between thumb 72 and leather separator 80, andwithin finger holster 41 between index finger 74 and leather separator80.

As illustrated in FIG. 7, there is depicted a side view of a verticalcross-section of web region 60 and the area beneath the web region 60,including web-reinforcement patch 62, hand 70 situated between frontsurface 22 of outer shell 20 and back surface 24 of outer shell 20, andprotective padding strip 90.

As illustrated in FIG. 8, there is a front view of first baseman's glove100. First baseman's glove 100 embodies the same invention as fielder'sglove 10, but is different in size, shape, and padding configuration tospecifically meet the needs of the first base position. First baseman'sglove 100 has an outer shell 102 composed of a front surface 104 and aback surface 106 joined together at various parts by lacing 108. Frontsurface 104 and back surface 106 are not joined together at the lowerportion of first baseman's glove 100, so as to form a glove opening 110.Outer shell 102 is formed to include a palm portion 120, finger portion130, and thumb portion 140. A web region 150 is located between fingerportion 130 and thumb portion 140. A web-reinforcement patch 152 isattached over the intersection of the lower portion of web region 150and outer shell 102. It should be recognized that web-reinforcementpatch 152 is not limited in size and can be situated on first baseman'sglove 100 to cover a variable region immediately surrounding theintersection of the lower portion of web region 150 and outer shell 102,including the areas directly above, below, and on both sides of theintersection.

A user inserts his or her hand 170 into glove opening 110 to use firstbaseman's glove 100. Finger portion 130 is comprised of finger holster132 and finger holster 134. Finger holster 132 and finger holster 134are located within outer shell 102. Finger holster 134 is sized toaccommodate three fingers of a user. To use first baseman's glove 100 auser inserts thumb 172 into thumb portion 140, index finger 174 intofinger holster 132, and middle finger 176, ring finger 178 and pinkyfinger 179 into finger holster 134. It is to be recognized that thumbportion 140 can also contain a thumb tab for the purpose of securingthumb 172 into thumb portion 140. Thumb tabs are standard in many modernbaseball gloves, and typically consist of a strip of leather formed in aloop within the thumb region, with the two ends of the strip of leatherprotruding from the outer shell of the glove and tied together into aknot. Standard thumb tabs can be adjusted by loosening the knot andeither increasing or decreasing the amount of leather used to form theloop. Middle finger 176 and ring finger 178 are separated in fingerholster 134 by finger separator 136. Ring finger 178 and pinky finger179 are separated in finger holster 134 by a finger separator 138.Finger separator 136 and finger separator 138 can both be comprised of astrip of conditioned leather, fabric, cloth, or other type of soft andflexible material that will not cause discomfort when contacting middlefinger 176, ring finger 178, and pinky finger 179. Finger separator 136and finger separator 138 can both be attached within first baseman'sglove 100 in a similar manner as finger separator 44 is attached infielder's glove 10. In an alternative embodiment, first baseman's glove100 can use finger separators each comprised of a strip of leatherformed in a loop, whereby the positioning of the finger separatorswithin finger holster 134 determines which fingers a user insertsthrough each loop.

A protective padding strip 160 is located within outer shell 102 andsurrounding web region 150. It should be recognized that protectivepadding strip 160 can be disposed within outer shell 102 so as tocompletely or partially surround web region 150. Protective paddingstrip 160 can be comprised of various types of material, including butnot limited to standard glove padding, cloth, fabric, sponge, leather,gel-like substances, or any other type of suitable padding material.

As illustrated in FIG. 9, there is a front view of catcher's glove 200.Catcher's glove 200 embodies the same invention as fielder's glove 10,but is different in size, shape, and padding configuration tospecifically meet the needs of the catcher's position. Catcher's glove200 has an outer shell 202 composed of a front surface 204 and a backsurface 206 joined together at various parts by lacing 208. Frontsurface 204 and back surface 206 are not joined together at the lowerportion of catcher's glove 200, so as to form a glove opening 210. Outershell 202 is formed to include a palm portion 220, thumb portion 230,and finger portion 240. A web region 250 is located between thumbportion 230 and finger portion 240. A web-reinforcement patch 252 isattached over the intersection of the lower portion of web region 250and outer shell 202. It should be recognized that web-reinforcementpatch 252 is not limited in size and can be situated on catcher's glove200 to cover a variable region immediately surrounding the intersectionof the lower portion of web region 250 and outer shell 202, includingthe areas directly above, below, and on both sides of the intersection.

A user inserts his or her hand 270 into glove opening 210 to usecatcher's glove 200. Finger portion 240 is comprised of finger holster242 and finger holster 244. Finger holster 242 and finger holster 244are located within outer shell 202. Finger holster 244 is sized toaccommodate three fingers of a user. To use catcher's glove 200 a userinserts thumb 272 into thumb portion 230, index finger 274 into fingerholster 242, and middle finger 276, ring finger 278 and pinky finger 279into finger holster 244. Thumb 272 is disposed in thumb portion 230 bythumb tab 235. Middle finger 276 is disposed in finger holster 244 byfinger tab 246. Ring finger 278 is disposed in finger holster 244 byfinger tab 248. Pinky finger 279 is disposed in finger holster 244 byfinger tab 249. Thumb tab 235, finger tab 246, finger tab 248, andfinger tab 209 can each be comprised of a strip of conditioned leather,fabric, cloth, or other type of soft and flexible material that will notcause discomfort when contacting thumb 272, middle finger 276, ringfinger 278, and pinky finger 279. It is to be recognized that thumb tab235, finger tab 246, finger tab 248, and finger tab 209 can be attachedusing various techniques, including but not limited to sewing,stitching, and gluing. A protective padding strip 260 is disposed withinouter shell 202 and surrounding web region 250. It should be recognizedthat protective padding strip 260 can be disposed within outer shell 202so as to completely or partially surround web region 250. Protectivepadding strip 260 can be comprised of various types of material,including but not limited to standard glove padding, cloth, fabric,sponge, leather, gel-like substances, or any other type of suitablepadding material.

Further, the purpose of the foregoing abstract is to enable the U.S.Patent and Trademark Office and the public generally, and especially thescientists, engineers, and practitioners in the art who are not familiarwith patent or legal terms or phraseology, to determine quickly from acursory inspection the nature and essence of the technical disclosure ofthe application. The abstract is neither intended to define theinvention of the application, which is measured by the claims, nor is itintended to be limiting, as to the scope of the invention in any way.

1. A baseball glove comprising: a) an outer shell, said outer shellcomprising a front surface and a back surface shaped to form a fingerportion, a thumb portion, and a palm portion, said outer shell having anopening below said palm portion created by an unjoined region of saidfront surface and said back surface, said finger portion containingthree finger holsters, wherein the outermost finger holster is capableof receiving two fingers of a user; b) a web portion located betweensaid finger portion and said thumb portion; c) a finger separatorlocated within said outermost finger holster for the purpose ofpreventing discomfort and rubbing of a user's fingers; and d) a paddingstrip located within said outer shell, said padding strip substantiallysurrounding said web portion for the purpose of protecting a user'sindex finger region and thumb region from contact with a ball whereby touse the glove a user inserts a hand into said glove opening placing thepinky and ring fingers into said outermost finger holster with onefinger on each side of or through said finger separator, the middlefinger into the middle finger holster, the index finger into theinnermost finger holster, and the thumb into said thumb portion.
 2. Thebaseball glove of claim 1, further comprising a web-reinforcement patchremovably fixed over a variable region surrounding the intersection ofthe lower region of said web portion and said outer shell, for thepurpose of protecting against separation of said web portion from thebaseball glove.
 3. The baseball glove of claim 1, further comprising aweb-reinforcement patch fixed over a variable region surrounding theintersection of the lower region of said web portion and said outershell, for the purpose of protecting against separation of said webportion from the baseball glove.
 4. The baseball glove of claim 1,wherein said finger separator is comprised of a portion of flexiblematerial, one side of said portion of flexible material of beingattached to the inner side of said front surface, the other side of saidportion of flexible material being attached to the inner side of saidback surface.
 5. The baseball glove of claim 1, wherein said fingerseparator is comprised of a strip of leather formed in a loop, whereby auser places one finger through the loop.
 6. The baseball glove of claim1, wherein said padding strip is substantially comprised of a gel-likematerial.
 7. The baseball glove of claim 3, wherein saidweb-reinforcement patch is comprised of soft and flexible leather forthe purpose of facilitating the trapping of the ball in said web region.8. A baseball glove comprising: a) an outer shell, said outer shellcomprising a front surface and a back surface shaped to form a fingerportion, a thumb portion, and a palm portion, said outer shell having anopening below said palm portion created by an unjoined region of saidfront surface and said back surface, said finger portion containing twofinger holsters within said outer shell, wherein the outermost fingerholster is capable of receiving three fingers of a user; b) a webportion located between said finger portion and said thumb portion; c)two or more finger separators located within said outermost fingerholster for the purpose of preventing discomfort and rubbing of a user'sfingers; and d) a padding strip located within said outer shell, saidpadding strip substantially surrounding said web portion for the purposeof protecting a user's index finger region and thumb region from contactwith a ball whereby to use the glove a user inserts a hand into saidglove opening placing the pinky, ring, and middle fingers into theoutermost finger holster with one finger on each side of or through eachfinger separator, the index finger into the remaining finger holster,and the thumb into said thumb portion.
 9. The baseball glove of claim 8,further comprising a web-reinforcement patch removably fixed over avariable region surrounding the intersection of the lower region of saidweb portion and said outer shell, for the purpose of protecting againstseparation of said web portion from the baseball glove.
 10. The baseballglove of claim 8, further comprising a web-reinforcement patch fixedover a variable region surrounding the intersection of the lower regionof said web portion and said outer shell, for the purpose of protectingagainst separation of said web portion from the baseball glove.
 11. Thebaseball glove of claim 8, wherein each of said two or more fingerseparators is comprised of a portion of flexible material, one side ofsaid portion of flexible material of being attached to the inner side ofsaid front surface, the other side of said portion of flexible materialbeing attached to the inner side of said back surface.
 12. The baseballglove of claim 8, wherein each of said two or more finger separators iscomprised of a strip of leather formed in a loop, whereby a user placesone finger through the loop.
 13. The baseball glove of claim 8, whereinsaid padding strip is substantially comprised of a gel-like material.14. The baseball glove of claim 8, wherein said web-reinforcement patchis comprised of softer and more flexible leather for the purpose offacilitating trapping of the ball in said web region.
 15. A baseballglove comprising: a) an outer shell, said outer shell comprising a frontsurface and a back surface shaped to form a finger portion, a thumbportion, and a palm portion, said outer shell having an opening belowsaid palm portion created by an unjoined region of said front surfaceand said back surface, said finger portion containing three fingerholsters, wherein the outermost finger holster is capable of receivingthree fingers of a user; b) a web portion located between said fingerportion and said thumb portion; c) a finger separator located withinsaid outermost finger holster for the purpose of preventing discomfortand rubbing of a user's fingers; and d) a padding strip located withinsaid outer shell, said padding strip substantially surrounding said webportion for the purpose of protecting a user's index finger region andthumb region from contact with a ball; and e) a web-reinforcement patchfixed over a variable region surrounding the intersection of the lowerregion of said web portion and said outer shell, for the purpose ofprotecting against separation of said web portion from the baseballglove whereby to use the glove a user inserts a hand into said gloveopening placing the pinky and ring fingers into said outermost fingerholster with one finger on each side of or through said fingerseparator, the middle finger into the middle finger holster, the indexfinger into the innermost finger holster, and the thumb into said thumbportion.
 16. The baseball glove of claim 15, wherein saidweb-reinforcement patch is removably fixed over a variable regionsurrounding the intersection of the lower region of said web portion andsaid outer shell, for the purpose of protecting against separation ofsaid web portion from the baseball glove.
 17. The baseball glove ofclaim 15, wherein said finger separator is comprised of a portion offlexible material, one side of said portion of flexible material ofbeing attached to the inner side of said front surface, the other sideof said portion of flexible material being attached to the inner side ofsaid back surface.
 18. The baseball glove of claim 15, wherein saidfinger separator is comprised of a strip of leather formed in a loop,whereby a user places one finger through the loop.
 19. The baseballglove of claim 15, wherein said padding strip is substantially comprisedof a gel-like material.
 20. The baseball glove of claim 15, wherein saidweb-reinforcement patch is comprised of softer and more flexible leatherfor the purpose of facilitating trapping of the ball in said web region.21. The method of making a baseball glove, comprising the steps of: a)providing an outer shell comprising a front surface and a back surfaceshaped to form a finger portion, a thumb portion, and a palm portion,said outer shell having an opening below said palm portion created by anunjoined region of said front surface and said back surface, said fingerportion containing three finger holsters, wherein the outermost fingerholster is capable of receiving two fingers of a user; b) providing aweb region to be attached to said outer shell between said fingerportion and said thumb portion; c) attaching said web region to saidouter shell between said thumb region and said finger region; d)providing a finger separator for location within said outermost fingerholster for the purpose of preventing discomfort and rubbing of a user'sfingers; e) attaching said finger separator within said outermost fingerholster for the purpose of preventing discomfort and rubbing of a user'sfingers; f) providing a padding strip for location within said outershell so as to substantially surround said web portion for the purposeof protecting a user's index finger region and thumb region from contactwith a ball; and g) attaching said padding strip within said outer shellso as to substantially surround said web portion for the purpose ofprotecting a user's index finger region and thumb region from contactwith a ball.
 22. The method of making a baseball glove according toclaim 21, the method further comprising the steps of: a) providing aweb-reinforcement patch for attachment over a variable regionsurrounding the intersection of the lower region of said web portion andsaid outer shell for the purpose of protecting against separation ofsaid web portion from the baseball glove; and b) attaching saidweb-reinforcement patch over a variable region surrounding theintersection of the lower region of said web portion and said outer forthe purpose of protecting against separation of said web portion fromthe baseball glove.